Sunday, January 29, 2017

TEPCO Searches for Melted Fuel in Reactor 2, Encounters Very High Radiation Level But No Fuel, Yet

It is an unsolved mystery: Where is the missing reactor fuel from unit 2? Does it remain in the bottom of the reactor or has it melted into the basement or beyond? TEPCO is still trying to answer these questions:

On Jan. 26, TEPCO inserted a camera-installed pipe into the containment vessel through a hole that had been made for the survey robot “Sasori” to pass through.

The radiation level around the hole was eight sieverts per hour, a deadly exposure level for humans. Workers were forced to perform their tasks while taking cover behind a wall, which was located about two meters from the hole….

…. To date, the utility has examined the inside of the containment vessel of the No. 2 reactor with an industrial endoscope three times. However, it has been unsuccessful in confirming the locations of the melted fuel.